Director - Substation Automation

Iberdrola•Rochester, NY

About The Position

The Director of Substation Automation is responsible for strategy, investment planning, governance, and execution of substation automation programs within the Digital Grid strategy. The role leads multidisciplinary teams and coordinates engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, procurement, regulatory, and other stakeholders to deliver capital programs safely, efficiently, and in accordance with company standards. The Director establishes program strategy and priorities, develops investment justifications and business plans, manages resources, schedules, budgets, risks, and performance measures, and works to realize operational benefits from digitalization. The role guides technical standards and process improvements, aligns substation automation with other digitalization workstreams, and develops employees and project teams. Employees may be assigned system emergency duties or NERC Reliability Standards compliance responsibilities, as applicable to their business area.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
At least 10 years of relevant experience in energy infrastructure, electric utility projects, or transmission and distribution substations.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical specialists and provide program governance and strategic direction.
At least 5 years of experience managing or executing substation modernization, SCADA and automation, breaker replacement, protection and control, or other electric utility capital programs.
Broad knowledge of all stages of a substation project, including conceptual design, detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operational handover.
Broad experience developing procurement strategies and managing consultants, contractors, equipment suppliers, and service providers supporting utility capital projects.
Broad knowledge of substation operation and maintenance.
Experience developing processes, procedures, and performance KPIs for continuous improvement.
Familiarity with New York utility regulatory requirements, capital investment planning, rate-case support, and preparation of investment justification documentation.
Experience using SAP.
Experience using Primavera.
Exceptionally strong planning, coordinating, and organizational skills.
Strong leadership skills, including the ability to manage multiple assignments and resolve conflicts.
Ability to foster individual professional development.
Strong communication skills to articulate highly technical concepts.
Demonstrated commitment to safety and compliance.
Ability to communicate effectively with regulatory and governmental agencies and other Avangrid Networks companies.

Nice To Haves

Experience reviewing and analyzing federal and state statutory and regulatory codes (FERC/NERC/NPCC), assessing related actions, and proposing long-term plans to address requirements.
MBA, PMP certification, or another advanced business or project-management qualification.

Responsibilities

Participate in and set the general and long-term strategy for substation automation capital investments.
Prepare investment justification documents to support the required level of investment for substation automation programs.
Coordinate execution of the substation automation capital plan with regulatory, planning, procurement, finance, legal, electric operations, engineering, construction, commissioning, and project stakeholders.
Establish portfolio priorities, resource plans, schedules, budgets, risk-management strategies, and performance KPIs; monitor adherence and recommend execution improvements.
Identify and measure KPIs to ensure operational benefits for Avangrid and its customers from digitalization.
Set general criteria and procedures for efficient execution of substation automation deployment plans.
Identify gaps in current operational processes and propose improvements to optimize the benefits of digitalization.
Coordinate the substation automation program with other digitalization workstreams while maintaining alignment with project goals and company standards.
Provide technical guidance on substation automation in coordination with local standardization groups.
Develop relationships with internal areas to direct process-change implementation.
Lead and develop assigned employees and multidisciplinary teams, including project managers, engineers, construction personnel, consultants, and contractors.
Set group goals and strategic direction and initiate action plans and assignments to accomplish goals.
Develop business plans with technical justifications and economic impact and seek executive approval.
Provide technical support, guidance, coaching, performance direction, and professional development for employees and project teams.
Establish organizational performance measures and initiate actions to enhance performance.